This step-by-step book gives you an empty shell of an AS3 Facebook RIA, and guides you through writing the Facebook interaction code by means of fun examples, exercises, and code snippets.This beginner's guide focuses on getting you through all the major learning points in a smooth, logical order. You'll also see how to avoid some common pitfalls. If you are an AS3 developer who wants to create applications and games that integrate with Facebook – either on the Facebook website itself or off it, then this book is for you. Even if you have no previous experience with Facebook, databases, or server-side programming , you can count on this book.

Facebook is big, by all meanings of the word. It's used by half a billion people—and countless businesses, bands, and public figures—for socializing and self-promotion. It's also a huge development platform, with tens of thousands of applications.

It's now common to see a Facebook "Like" button on blog posts, news articles, and many other websites. In the same way, Facebook integration is becoming more and more desirable for browser-based RIAs and games, with some, like FarmVille, even being based entirely around Facebook. That's where Flash comes in.